Beyond My World
by Light Avatar
Summary: After his latest clash with Voldemort, Harry finds himself in a universe where Voldemort raised him to be a Death Eater. Can Harry get in touch with Dumbledore, convince him that he's not evil, and find a way home? AU after OotP, no ships.
1. A Rude Awakening

**Disclaimer: **I'm afraid that my limited brain capacity would never allow me to produce such a wonderful concept as Harry Potter, nor would my finances allow me to buy him. Therefore, I regretfully state that I own neither Harry Potter, nor any other characters that you may recognize. I'm not even sure if I own the plot.

**Note: **I'm assuming that you already know the basic story of Harry Potter.

'_Italics'_ stand for thoughts/letters or text

Chapter One: A Rude Awakening

_Day One, Afternoon_:

"_AVADA KEDAVRA!_"

Harry watched the jet of green light shoot towards him in horror. Time seemed to slow down. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Dumbledore raise his wand. A spark of magic sped at him, striking him at the same time as the killing curse. Then, everything went black…

…………

_Day One, Evening_:

"Potter! Hey, Potter!"

"Huh?" Blinking groggily, Harry opened his eyes to see a familiar face looking down at him. "Malfoy! What are you doing here?"

The blond Slytherin appeared surprised by the question. "I live here, of course. Are you feeling okay?"

"What happened?" Harry asked, wondering if he had gone mad. "Where am I?" Glancing around, he was astonished to find himself lying on a couch in a luxurious silver-and-green sitting room. It reminded him of Number 12 Grimmauld Place, with the same dark, gloomy, and evil air.

"You just collapsed at the meeting," Draco informed him. "I mean, you just fainted for no reason. And that weird scar showed up out of nowhere."

_'Meeting? Scar?'_ Harry wondered. _'I've had this scar forever! And am I seeing things or does Malfoy actually look worried? What is going on? Why aren't I dead? What did Professor Dumbledore hit me with?'_

"Potter, are you okay? You just spaced out there."

"I'm fine, I think."

"Good. Get yourself washed up; the Dark Lord will want to talk to you soon."

Draco exited the room before a stunned Harry could respond.

_'WHAT! The Dark Lord! Why would Voldemort want to _talk_ to me? What is going on?'_ Standing up, the dark-haired teen walked to one of the doors set in the far wall and found that it led into a bedroom, also decorated in Slytherin colors. A quick check revealed that the other doors led to a bathroom, what appeared to be a dueling chamber, and a long hallway.

There was also a door that was locked. Curious, Harry placed his palm on a pad on the wall, which magically scanned his hand before letting him in. As soon as he stepped inside, wall-mounted torches flared, revealing a study and library.

Harry immediately noticed a pensieve sitting on a desk. Since it had his name engraved on the sides, he touched the silvery substance in the basin. The moment his fingers brushed the liquid, he found himself falling in.


	2. The Dark Lord's Heir

**Disclaimer: **I'm afraid that my limited brain capacity would never allow me to produce such a wonderful concept as Harry Potter, nor would my finances allow me to buy him. Therefore, I regretfully state that I own neither Harry Potter, nor any other characters that you may recognize. I'm not even sure if I own the plot.

**Note: **I'm assuming that you already know the basic story of Harry Potter from books 1 through 5.

'_Italics'_ stand for thoughts/letters or text

Chapter Two: The Dark Lord's Heir

_Day One, Evening_:

Memories flashed by so quickly that Harry could only catch glimpses of various events, but what he saw shocked him. Pictures swirled around him — growing up in Malfoy Manor, training with Draco, meeting the deatheaters, participating in raids, being named the Dark Lord's heir, attending deatheater gatherings — the list went on and on.

Horrified at what he had done, he dug in his robes, flinching when he recognized the Death Eater clothing, and pulled out his wand. Raising the slender object, he instinctively muttered an incantation and found himself back in the study.

'_How did I know how to get out?'_ Harry thought in confusion. _'Did I get the other Harry's knowledge, too? Am I in an alternate universe or something?'_

Moving automatically, he walked into the bedroom of what he now knew was his suite in Malfoy Manor. Opening his closet, he changed into dark green robes before looking into a mirror. He could barely recognize his own reflection.

This world's Harry was tall, with spiked black hair and a lithe, graceful figure. Sleek muscles showed under his clothes and a thin line, the remnant of a cut, slashed across his right cheek, giving him a dangerous air. His scar seemed out of place on this familiar, yet strange, face.

Without thinking, Harry flicked his hand and the lightning bolt vanished. It took a moment for the full implications of the act to sink in.

_He hadn't used a wand._

For the next half hour, he experimented with his newfound skills and discovered that he could do magic both with and without a wand, and had an expansive knowledge of spells, Dark and Light, though mostly Dark. It was rather unsettling, as whenever he thought about something, information simply flowed into his mind. Clearly, the other Harry had been very well taught.

There was a knock on the door just as Harry was admiring his Animagus form, a phoenix.

"Come in."

Draco swept in, raising an eyebrow at the raven-haired boy. "You look a bit flushed. Been practicing?"

"Yeah, you could say that."

"Are you feeling better? The Dark Lord wants to see you now."

"Um, okay." Ignoring the urge to panic, Harry straightened his robes and followed Draco through the house to a pair of double doors.

"Go on in, Potter. He's waiting."

Bracing himself, the Boy-Who-Lived pushed open the doors and walked in. Almost instantly, a surge of pain flashed through his scar, but to his relief, it vanished as fast as it had come. Harry was thankful to learn that he had mastered Occlumency here. At least that way, Voldemort would be unable to tell if he was lying or not.

Slowly, Harry approached the throne at the opposite end of the hall. Moving mechanically, he kept his gaze on the floor as he knelt.

"Rise, Harry," a cold voice commanded. "Look at me."

Not daring to disobey, he lifted his head and his gaze met Voldemort's.

"Tell me, my child, why did you collapse earlier? Are you unwell?"

"No, Master, I am perfectly fine. I believe I fainted because of a curse I have been practicing. I did not realize how much I had drained myself, or that there might be side effects." To his surprise, the lie came easily and naturally, in a calm and even tone. There was nothing to suggest that he wasn't telling the truth.

"Very well then, if you are certain. Now, while you were unconscious, I informed the rest of my followers about the attack on the Ministry of Magic. We leave in two hours. You will lead the attack, as usual. Any questions?"

"No, my Lord."

"Then you are dismissed. Make sure you are rested, Harry. I don't want you to get injured."

"As you command, Lord." Although his responses rolled off his tongue glibly, Harry had to suppress a shudder at Voldemort's almost affectionate behavior. Feeling immensely relieved, he returned to his rooms, relying on his second set of memories to lead him.

Once he was safely back, he began to ponder his dilemma. _'I must warn the Order of the attack. But how? They probably wouldn't believe me, anyway. Maybe I should go to Dumbledore. I know he hides things from me, but I suppose he think it's for my own good. And he is quite powerful and he has a lot of influence. But how am I supposed to get there and back in under two hours?'_

Suddenly, there was a soft trill behind him. Harry turned to see the answer to his problem. "Fawkes!"


	3. Phoenix Mail

**Disclaimer: **I'm afraid that my limited brain capacity would never allow me to produce such a wonderful concept as Harry Potter, nor would my finances allow me to buy him. Therefore, I regretfully state that I own neither Harry Potter, nor any other characters that you may recognize. I'm not even sure if I own the plot.

**Note: **I'm assuming that you already know the basic story of Harry Potter from books 1 through 5.

'_Italics'_ stand for thoughts/letters or text

Chapter Three: Phoenix Mail

_Day One, Evening_:

Harry was delighted to see the phoenix. "Fawkes! What are you doing here? Can you take a letter to Professor Dumbledore for me?" Not waiting for an answer, he grabbed a quill and a piece of parchment.

A few minutes later, Fawkes vanished, taking a short note with him.

…………

_Day One, Evening_:

Albus Dumbledore, headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and head of the Order of the Phoenix, was getting concerned. There had been no attacks in almost two weeks and that was a sure sign of trouble.

A burst of flame caught his eye. "Hello, Fawkes," the elderly wizard said in greeting. "Is that a letter you've got? Who would be writing to me by phoenix?"

The letter read: _'Professor Dumbledore, there will be an attack on the Ministry of Magic today in about two hours, at nine o'clock. Gather the Order and be ready.'_

Dumbledore stared at the signature — _'The One in the Prophecy.'_ That could only be one of two people, Neville Longbottom or Harry Potter. Neither had ever heard the entire prophecy, though Voldemort might have told Harry the part he knew. But Harry would hardly be writing to him. So how could this be?

Making up his mind, Dumbledore turned the note over and wrote: _'How do you know of the prophecy? And of the attack?'_

He finished the note with his name before handing the parchment to Fawkes. "Take this back, please." The red-and-gold bird disappeared, but returned a few minutes later bearing another letter, which simply said, _'Fawkes trusts me, and I trust you, to an extent. All I ask is that you do the same, if not for me, then for all the innocent people out there.'_

…………

_Day One, Evening_:

Back at Malfoy Manor, Harry put on black pants, a black shirt, and boots. He also took a slender sword, four daggers, and two wandholders, and strapped them on. Once he had added his wands, his own and a spare, he grabbed a hooded cloak. Then, he spent a little time composing himself before heading out to attack the Ministry of Magic alongside his parents' murderer.


	4. An Odd Conversation

**Disclaimer: **I'm afraid that my limited brain capacity would never allow me to produce such a wonderful concept as Harry Potter, nor would my finances allow me to buy him. Therefore, I regretfully state that I own neither Harry Potter, nor any other characters that you may recognize. I'm not even sure if I own the plot.

**Note: **I'm assuming that you already know the basic story of Harry Potter from books 1 through 5.

'_Italics'_ stand for thoughts/letters or text

Chapter Four: An Odd Conversation

_Day One, Late Night_:

Dumbledore glanced around him. If his secret informer was correct, the attack would be starting any minute. As if on cue, a group of black-robed figures appeared. They were slightly taken aback to see several witches and wizards already waiting for them. Curses began to fly.

In the midst of the fighting, Dumbledore watched one person carefully. The teen in question was moving easily along, hexing everyone who came in his path. His speed, skill, and strength clearly marked him as Harry Potter, but something was different about him.

_'He's not killing anyone,'_ Dumbledore realized with a start. _'All the spells that he's using are only designed to injure. Actually, he's not even really hurting anyone, at least, not fatally. What's going on?'_ Determined to find out, the headmaster sent off a quick spell. Harry ducked and responded by moving closer, wand at the ready.

"Professor Dumbledore, how nice to see you."

Beginning to have second thoughts at the emotionless voice, Dumbledore backed away a little, but tried to maintain eye contact. "Why, Harry? Why do you serve Voldemort? You are not evil."

"Why do you serve the Light side?"

"Because it is the right thing to do."

"Precisely."

They dueled for several minutes before Dumbledore spoke again. "Have you met Fawkes, Harry?"

"Perhaps. Why?"

"He told me something very interesting earlier."

"Oh? Does this have something to do with me?"

"Yes, I believe so."

"Well then, by all means, enlighten me."

"I received information concerning this attack and mentioning you by name," Dumbledore said, wary of any eavesdroppers.

"So we have a spy. That's very helpful information." Harry winked at his opponent. "Perhaps things aren't as bad as they seem." And with that cryptic remark, he disapparated with the retreating Death Eaters.

…………

_Day One, Late Night_:

As soon as he returned to Hogwarts, Dumbledore placed his memory of the conversation in a pensieve and reviewed it. He immediately saw that not once had Harry seriously tried to hurt him. In fact, throughout the entire time, it looked more like the spells were purposely off target.

After some serious thought, he walked to the fire, threw in a handful of Floo powder, and called out, "Godric's Hollow!"


	5. False Hope?

**Disclaimer: **I'm afraid that my limited brain capacity would never allow me to produce such a wonderful concept as Harry Potter, nor would my finances allow me to buy him. Therefore, I regretfully state that I own neither Harry Potter, nor any other characters that you may recognize. I'm not even sure if I own the plot.

**Note: **I'm assuming that you already know the basic story of Harry Potter from books 1 through 5.

'_Italics'_ stand for thoughts/letters or text

Chapter Five: False Hope?

_Day One, Late Night_:

"Albus, hello, how are you? Were you at the Ministry? I didn't see you."

Dumbledore smiled at the head of the Auror division, James Potter. "Hello, James. I'm fine, thank you. I was indeed at the Ministry; that's why I need to talk to you. Can you and Lily meet me tomorrow morning in my office? Say, ten?"

"Certainly. But what is this about?"

"You'll see. I don't want to get your hopes up or anything."

Lily Potter came in just as Dumbledore's head disappeared from the fireplace. "What was that?"

"That was Albus, dear, being as secretive as usual. He wants to see us at ten tomorrow morning." James wrapped his arms around his wife and gave her a gentle kiss. "Now we should go to bed. It's really very late."

…………

_Day Two, Morning_:

At the appointed time, Lily and James sat in Dumbledore's office, waiting patiently. The headmaster placed his pensieve in front of them as he explained how he had known about the attack.

"I received a strange note warning me about the upcoming raid. It was signed, 'The One in the Prophecy.'" Lily gasped and James turned white, but neither spoke. Dumbledore continued, "Fawkes was the one who delivered this note and you know that he wouldn't do that for someone untrustworthy. I decided to act on the information. During the battle, I ran into Harry and we dueled. Now I would like to show you my memory of the event."

The Potters watched in silence. When it was over, Lily was crying, but James looked at Dumbledore in confusion. "Why did you show this to us? Are you saying that Harry has turned traitor and is spying for us? How could he have found out about the prophecy?"

"I don't know, James. I don't want to give you false hope, but I felt you should know."

"Thank you, Albus. We appreciate it," Lily said softly. "Please tell us if anything else comes up."

"I will." Dumbledore sighed as they left, remembering the terrible night when Voldemort had kidnapped the one-year-old Harry. His parents had been heartbroken, even more so when their son began actively fighting against them. In a way, though, they were proud of his skill, and he was undoubtedly a powerful wizard. It was a pity that he was on the wrong side.


	6. Telling the Truth

**Disclaimer: **I'm afraid that my limited brain capacity would never allow me to produce such a wonderful concept as Harry Potter, nor would my finances allow me to buy him. Therefore, I regretfully state that I own neither Harry Potter, nor any other characters that you may recognize. I'm not even sure if I own the plot.

**Note: **I'm assuming that you already know the basic story of Harry Potter from books 1 through 5.

'_Italics'_ stand for thoughts/letters or text

Chapter Six: Telling the Truth

_Day Two, Afternoon_:

Voldemort summoned Harry the next afternoon. Entering the throne room, he braced himself and threw up the strongest Occlumency shields he could.

"Tell me, Harry, what is your opinion of the attack last night?"

"It would have been successful, Lord, if Dumbledore had not been forewarned. He claimed to have received information beforehand. I believe we have a spy in our midst," Harry replied carefully.

"Hmmm. I must investigate this matter. Go and rest, Harry."

"Yes, Lord." Relieved, he made a quick exit and hurried back to his rooms. He knew that Voldemort would be suspicious when he found out about his heir's reluctance to kill, but he could hardly hurt innocent people, no matter how much good he could do by spying. No, it would be best to flee before Voldemort got suspicious.

Accordingly, Harry packed, transformed into a phoenix, and vanished in a blaze of flame.

…………

_Day Two, Afternoon_:

"Sirius! Sirius Black, get over here!"

England's second best Auror joined one of his best friends, werewolf Remus Lupin, at the window. "What's up?"

"Harry Potter is standing outside!"

"WHAT!" Sirius yelped, peering out from behind the curtain. Sure enough, the most notorious of Voldemort's followers was surveying the street thoughtfully. As Sirius and Remus debated what to do, Harry strode up to the door of Number 12 Grimmauld Place, the Black family's ancestral home and headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix, and knocked.

_'This cannot be happening,'_ Remus thought frantically. _'The Order's location is one of our most guarded secrets; it's even under Fidelius — did something happen to Albus? He's the Secret Keeper. Why is Harry alone? Why is he even knocking?'_

Outside, the teen in question was getting impatient. Wearily, he whispered the password that Sirius had taught him a year ago and the door swung open. No sooner had he stepped into the house, than Sirius shot off a rapid series of spells. In actuality, Harry had plenty of time to block them, but he was too busy gaping at his godfather.

Remus frowned as he knelt by the unconscious boy. "Something's wrong, Padfoot. Did you see the way he looked at you? And he didn't even try to move or draw his wand."

"How did he find this place, anyway?" Sirius muttered. "Go call Lily, James, and Albus; I'll take him upstairs. Get some veritaserum too; we might need it."

…………

_Day Two, Afternoon_:

Harry awoke to see a wandtip touching his nose. A hand holding a vial of clear liquid came into view.

"Open your mouth." Automatically identifying the speaker as Remus, he obeyed without question. The potion tasted bitter, but not unpleasant. His mind began to feel strangely blank and detached. Vaguely, he saw a few people in the room, but could not identify them.

A man whom Harry supposed was Dumbledore started to question him.

"What is your name?"

"Harry James Potter."

"Who are your parents?"

"Lily and James Potter."

"When were you born?"

"July 31, 1980."

"Do you serve Voldemort?"

"No." Dumbledore was taken aback, but quickly continued.

"Have you ever served Voldemort?"

"Yes." After a moment's thought, the headmaster rephrased his query.

"Have you ever served Voldemort _willingly_?"

"No." Lily, who was watching closely, felt a faint surge of hope.

"Have you ever killed someone?"

Harry appeared to struggle with his answer before he finally said, "Yes."

Looking grave, Dumbledore asked, "Whom?"

"My parents, Cedric Diggory, and Sirius Black."

"How did you kill them?" Remus wondered, shooting a glance at his equally confused friends.

"Voldemort killed my parents because he wanted me. I told Cedric to take the Triwizard Cup with me, which led to Peter killing him, and Sirius followed me to the Department of Mysteries to rescue me from the Death Eaters, and fell behind the veil there."

"But have you ever dealt the killing stroke?" Dumbledore clarified.

"No."

Feeling utterly bewildered, Dumbledore pushed Harry's sleeve up. His arm had a few scars, but was otherwise unmarked.

"Have you ever used an Unforgivable Curse?" James almost dreaded the answer. He hoped, for Lily's sake, that Harry had been under a mind controlling spell or something of that sort.

"Yes." Harry's tone gained a little emotion, as the effects of the veritaserum began to wear off.

"Which ones and on whom?" Dumbledore wanted to know.

"I used the Cruciatus on Bellatrix Lestrange."

His answer was unexpected, to say the least. Sirius' eyes widened. "My cousin? She's a Death Eater. No question about that."

While everyone was trying to make sense of what Harry had said, the aforementioned teen had fully awoken and recovered from the truth serum. He was just as astonished as Sirius. "Padfoot? How…?"

James, Lily, Sirius, and Remus went deathly pale. "How do you know about the Marauders?" Lily whispered. Harry's gaze shifted to her and he gasped.

"Mum? I…I _am_ in another world!" And he fainted.


	7. A Different Harry

**Disclaimer: **I'm afraid that my limited brain capacity would never allow me to produce such a wonderful concept as Harry Potter, nor would my finances allow me to buy him. Therefore, I regretfully state that I own neither Harry Potter, nor any other characters that you may recognize. I'm not even sure if I own the plot.

**Note: **I'm assuming that you already know the basic story of Harry Potter from books 1 through 5.

'_Italics'_ stand for thoughts/letters or text

Chapter Seven: A Different Harry

_Day Two, Afternoon_:

"What do you think, Albus?" James carefully laid his son on the bed as he spoke. Lily sat next to Harry, touching his cheek with a trembling hand.

"Did you hear that?" she murmured to her husband. "He called me 'mum.'"

"He said he was in another world," Remus mused aloud. "Do you think it could be true? It would explain his strange answers."

Dumbledore studied the teen pensively. "Yes, that is the only explanation that fits. Young Mr. Potter here has somehow come from a different universe, where very different events occurred. From what he has said, I gather that in his own world, Lily, James, and Sirius are dead."

"Dead? What do you mean?" Sirius protested in astonishment. "Do you really believe what he said about falling through a veil?"

"I do," Dumbledore said firmly. "There is indeed a veil in the Department of Mysteries that is believed to be a gateway to death. So far, I don't think anyone has fallen in."

"Figures that you would be the first, Padfoot."

"Of course, Moony."

Remus rolled his eyes at Sirius' flippant answer. "Glad to see that adventurous spirit."

"I'm a Marauder; what do you expect?"

Ignoring his friends' bantering, James focused on Dumbledore. "Are you sure about this? How could Harry have gotten here?"

"I don't know. We shall have to ask him. At any rate, from what I saw at the ministry last night, Harry has all the skills of his counterpart. If he agrees to help us in the war, we just might have a chance."

"That's impossible. Surely if he was from another universe, he would look and fight differently! Besides, how can there be two Harrys at the same time?"

"I believe that Harry has 'switched bodies,' so to speak, with the Harry from this world. Perhaps since knowledge and memories remain in one's brain, and that would be a part of the body, they have each other's mind."

By now, Remus had stopped bickering with Sirius and taken an interest in the conversation. "But Albus, if that's so, then why does Harry still have his own memories?"

"I can't be entirely sure, but I would venture to say that memories are a part of one's soul as well as one's mind. It is difficult to tell, since this has never happened before."

"What about the Dark Mark?" Sirius wondered. "Spies have confirmed that Harry had one."

"The Dark Mark is magical and therefore would be linked to Harry's life force. It would have gone with our Harry to…wherever he went. If this Harry has any magical scars, for example, he would still have them here," Dumbledore explained. "Now I think it is time that we had a chat with young Mr. Potter. James, I think you and Lily might want to stay out of sight for now."

"Okay," the Auror agreed. "Come over here, Lily, and we can use a Disillusionment Charm."

"What about Sirius?" Lily protested, not wanting to leave her son's side. "Harry definitely recognized him."

"Oh, all right," Sirius grumbled, following James' example. "Come on, Lily."

Once the three adults were hidden, Remus approached the bed, drawing his wand. "_Ennervate_."


	8. Dreams Can Come True

**Disclaimer: **I'm afraid that my limited brain capacity would never allow me to produce such a wonderful concept as Harry Potter, nor would my finances allow me to buy him. Therefore, I regretfully state that I own neither Harry Potter, nor any other characters that you may recognize. I'm not even sure if I own the plot.

**Note: **I'm assuming that you already know the basic story of Harry Potter from books 1 through 5.

'_Italics'_ stand for thoughts/letters or text

Chapter Eight: Dreams Can Come True

_Day Two, Afternoon_:

When Harry woke to find only Remus and Dumbledore in the room, he was immensely relieved. "Professor!" he exclaimed. "I had the most incredible dream!" Then, he took a closer look at his surroundings, saw the dark clothing he was wearing, and winced. His face fell and he softly muttered, "It wasn't a dream, was it?"

"No, Harry, it wasn't." Remus sat down next to the teen and studied him carefully. "Are you feeling okay?"

"Yeah, I think so. Remus, where's Sirius? I swear, I saw him…and my mum."

"Well, as you said, you are in another world," Dumbledore said gently. "Both Sirius and your parents are alive here. Am I correct in assuming that you were close to Sirius in your own world?"

Harry nodded. "He was the closest person to a father figure that I had."

Sirius couldn't stand the sadness in his godson's eyes. Lifting the Disillusionment Charm on himself, he dashed to Harry's side and wrapped his arms around him. "I'm right here, Harry."

James and Lily revealed themselves as well. Their son stared at them for a long moment and no one spoke. Finally, Harry stood up, sliding out of his godfather's grasp, and slowly reached out to his parents.

Unable to wait any longer, they pulled him into a hug. He stiffened slightly, but then relaxed, only to jump again when the door opened to admit a young girl with long black hair and hazel eyes. She gaped at them in shock.

Lily grabbed her arm and pulled her closer. "Harry, this is your sister, Marigold. Mari, your brother's on our side now."

The siblings studied each other for a few seconds. Then, Mari flung herself at Harry, who staggered backward into James, knocking him into Lily. Tangled together, they tumbled to the floor, and, for the first time in 15 years, the Potter family was completely reunited.

…………

_Day Two, Afternoon_:

After a moment, Harry pulled back and straightened, wiping a little moisture his eyes. "You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that," he muttered.

His sister gave him a puzzled look. "I thought you served You-Know-Who."

"Er, Mari, there's something we need to explain to you," James interrupted. "There was an…accident, and somehow, the Harry from this world and the Harry from another world kind of…switched bodies."

"Huh? Switched bodies? What do you mean?"

"Well, Harry grew up in an entirely different way. He knows what's happened here, but he didn't personally experience it. You can't blame him for how his other self acted."

Mari frowned, then asked curiously, "Do I exist in the other world?"

"No," Harry replied softly. "In my world, Mum and Dad died, so they never had you." It felt a little strange to say 'Mum' and 'Dad,' but he liked the sensation. He just wished he could have said it more when he was younger.

Sirius decided to break up the somewhat somber mood. "So, Harry, tell us about your world. Do you have a special someone?"

Remus and James couldn't help but laugh as Harry turned bright red. "Um…not really."

"Are you sure?"

"Leave the poor boy alone," Lily said with a shake of her head. She gave Harry another hug, whispering in his ear, "I don't care if you're from another world, you're still my son and I love you."

The words meant more to Harry than anything he had ever heard before.

Dumbledore sat on the bed, forgotten in the joyful reunion. _'This couldn't have happened at a better time,'_ he thought. _'Harry's apparent change of loyalties is just the thing to boost morale, especially after all of Voldemort's attacks. Not to mention, I haven't seen Lily this happy since before Harry was kidnapped. They need each other, James too. And this will give young Miss Potter a chance to have a brother. Ah, I love it when things work out perfectly.'_

But of course, life is never perfect.


	9. Ally or Enemy?

**Disclaimer: **I'm afraid that my limited brain capacity would never allow me to produce such a wonderful concept as Harry Potter, nor would my finances allow me to buy him. Therefore, I regretfully state that I own neither Harry Potter, nor any other characters that you may recognize. I'm not even sure if I own the plot.

**Note: **I'm assuming that you already know the basic story of Harry Potter from books 1 through 5.

'_Italics'_ stand for thoughts/letters or text

Chapter Nine: Ally or Enemy?

_Day Two, Evening_:

The inner circle of the Order of the Phoenix gathered around the table in the dining room of No. 12 Grimmauld Place and exchanged nervous glances.

"Just what is this about, Albus?" Auror Kingsley Shacklebolt demanded. "What's going on? Where are Lily and James? And why is Sirius grinning like a mad fool?"

"Calm down now. Lily and James are upstairs having a talk with a young visitor of ours, who came calling this afternoon. As for Sirius, why don't you ask him?" Dumbledore suggested, his eyes twinkling merrily.

Shacklebolt turned abruptly. "Sirius, why are you grinning like a mad fool?"

Before Sirius reply, Remus interjected, "Because he _is_ a mad fool."

"Hey! I object!"

Five minutes later, James stuck his head around the door and asked bemusedly, "Why is Padfoot chasing Moony around the table?"

"He called me a mad fool!" Sirius exclaimed.

"Padfoot, you are a mad fool."

His friend collapsed in a chair, throwing up his hands in exasperation. "The whole world is ganging up on me! I give up!"

"That's enough, Sirius," Lily sighed, shaking her head. "Let's get this meeting started."

Dumbledore nodded in agreement and stood up, waiting for the chatting members to quiet down. "All right, our first matter of business has to do with a visitor." His words made Nymphadora Tonks frown.

"A visitor? Do you mean a visitor here? That's impossible; this house is under Fidelius. No one could have just come by."

"Ah, but someone did."

"Well, then, get on with it," Shacklebolt snapped impatiently. "Who was it?"

"Mr. Potter."

"James?" Molly Weasley looked across as the Auror. "What does James have to do with this?"

"Not James. Harry."

Immediately, the room erupted in noise.

"How could he have come here?"

"Where is he?"

"What's he doing here?"

"Who invited him?"

"What are we going to do?"

"We'll have to move headquarters!"

"We should Obliviate him!"

Remus rolled his eyes and drew his wand. "_Silencio_."

"Thank you, Remus," Dumbledore said with a smile. "I am pleased to announce that Harry has joined our side."

This time, the Silencing Charm prevented any exclamations, but many of the members still showed inclinations to burst out yelling again.

"If you don't behave, I'm not taking the charm off," Remus warned them. "Let Albus speak."

"I know that you are suspicious because young Mr. Potter has grown up serving Voldemort, however, I questioned him under veritaserum and came to an unexpected conclusion. Somehow, I don't know exactly how, Harry has come here from another universe where he did not support Voldemort. Since he still has the skills and abilities of his counterpart here, I believe he will be a great help to us."

Seeing that almost everyone was still suspicious, Dumbledore pulled a vial of liquid from his pocket. "I see you don't believe me. Lily, do you think Harry would mind taking veritaserum again?"

"No, I don't mind," Harry himself answered, walking in. Immediately, everyone had their wands out, with the exception of Dumbledore, Lily, James, Sirius, and Remus.

A flash of pain shot through Harry's eyes, seeing the people he loved and respected glaring at him. Ignoring them, he sat down and drank the truth serum without hesitation. Alastor 'Mad-Eye' Moody offered to question him.

"What is your name?"

"Harry James Potter."

"Do you serve You-Know-Who?"

"No."

"Are you a spy?"

"No."

"Are you really from another universe?"

"Yes."

Shocked murmurs greeted his answers.

"How do we know that he wasn't memory charmed?" Shacklebolt wanted to know.

"How would he know where Grimmauld Place is?" James challenged. "Why don't you ask him something that he would only know if he was trustworthy in his world?"

For a few minutes, everyone was quiet as they tried to think of a question. Finally, Dumbledore decided to break the silence. "What is Voldemort's real name?"

"Tom Marvolo Riddle."

"Voldemort would never have told his followers what his true name is," Dumbledore pointed out. "He hates his half-blood heritage."

"I have an idea," Remus said suddenly, turning to address the room in general. "How many of you have seen Harry's Patronus?"

A few people raised their hands. "It's a snake, right?" They nodded in agreement. "Well, if this is a different Harry, then he would have a different Patronus, right? Harry, can you produce a Patronus for us?"

Obediently the teen rose and raised his wand. "_Expecto patronum!_"

James gasped when he saw his Animagus form emerge. "That's me!" Those in the Order who know about Prongs were startled as well.

"I guess he is from another world," Shacklebolt conceded. "There's no other way he would have James as his Patronus otherwise."

Someone in the back called, "Do you know any of the Order's spies?"

"The only spy I know of is Professor Snape."

"He must be telling the truth, then," the person said, coming forward. It was Severus Snape himself. "Otherwise he would have betrayed me."

"Professor?" Sirius laughed. "I wonder what you ever taught him."

"Shut up, you mangy mutt," Snape sneered. "I doubt you taught him anything useful. For your information, I did teach Potter, the one in this world, anyway."

"What's Harry going to do how?" Tonks queried.

"He can't go to Hogwarts; the parents of the other students will never agree to that," Remus said thoughtfully.

"He's going to stay at Godric's Hollow with James and me, of course," Lily declared.

"I doubt You-Know-Who will let his heir go, just like that," Shacklebolt stated dryly. "What if he attacks you?"

"Then we'll fight," James replied simply.

"Is Harry going to fight with us if there are raids?" Remus questioned.

"No!" Lily exclaimed, just as her son said the opposite, having recovered from the veritaserum.

"I lost you once; I'm not losing you again!"

"Mum, I can take care of myself," Harry protested. "I can't just sit here and do nothing. Professor Dumbledore, please!"

After a moment of contemplation, Dumbledore gave his consent reluctantly. "If you wish to, I doubt I could stop you, Harry. But please be careful; Voldemort will want you to suffer now that you have betrayed him."

As a matter of fact, the last sentence was a bit of an understatement.


	10. Found and Lost Again

**Disclaimer: **I'm afraid that my limited brain capacity would never allow me to produce such a wonderful concept as Harry Potter, nor would my finances allow me to buy him. Therefore, I regretfully state that I own neither Harry Potter, nor any other characters that you may recognize. I'm not even sure if I own the plot.

**Note: **I'm assuming that you already know the basic story of Harry Potter from books 1 through 5.

'_Italics'_ stand for thoughts/letters or text

Chapter Ten: Found and Lost Again

_Day Two, Late Night_:

"Where is Harry?" Voldemort demanded, glaring at the cowering Death Eater. "Tell me!"

"My Lord, he…he has…left," the unfortunate man stammered.

"Left? He has betrayed us? Impossible!"

"His r-rooms are empty a-and he is gone, L-lord."

"Where did he go?"

"I don't know, Lord."

"Well, go find him!" the Dark Lord snapped. As his follower headed rapidly towards the door, he called, "Oh, one more thing. _Crucio!_"

…………

_Day Two, Late Night_:

Harry gasped and jerked awake, his scar burning painfully. _'So now Voldemort knows. It's a good thing he doesn't know about our connection, or he'd probably torture people just to punish me. At least I haven't got a Dark mark.'_

Sighing, he leaned back and gazed around him at the chamber he was in. Decorated in Gryffindor colors, it was quite cozy. He had been touched when his parents told him that they had kept a place for him all these years in hopes that one day he would return to them.

'_My parents. It feels kind of strange to even think that. I wonder where Wormtail is in this world, that traitor. Maybe I should have stayed with Voldemort a little longer so I could kill that rat.'_

Pushing aside the velvet comforter, he climbed out of bed and wandered around the room — the room his parents had saved hoping that one day his counterpart would return — looking at the pictures on the walls. Photos of himself as a child, the Marauders, Lily and James, his sister, and much more. Altogether, he felt as if he had come home, which he technically had. It was a nice feeling.

A tingle in the air around him made Harry stiffen as he tried to identify the cause. _'I have no idea what that was, but it seems familiar.' _Concentrating hard on his other 'memories,' he soon recognized it. _'The wards! Someone's attacking, probably whoever Voldemort sent.'_

Even before he had fully processed this information, he was moving. As he headed for the door, he grabbed both of his wands and a dagger and slipped out into the hallway of Godric's Hollow. _'Should I wake Mum and Dad? I might need backup.' _Making up his mind, he entered the master bedroom and ran to his father's side.

"Dad! Wake up!"

"Huh?" James opened his eyes, gasped, and grabbed for his wand. "You!"

"Dad, someone just broke through the wards!" Harry whispered urgently, ignoring the shocked expression he had received. For a moment, James froze. Then, he remembered that his son was no long evil. Once that fact had reestablished itself, he leapt up and put on his glasses.

"Are they Death Eaters?"

"I think so. They might be after me, or trying to hurt me through you."

"Okay." Leaning over the bed, James shook his wife gently. "Lily, honey, get up. We have some visitors."

She rose at once. "Who?"

"Possibly Death Eaters. Okay, I'll go downstairs, Harry, you follow me for backup, and Lily, go guard Mari."

"No way," Lily objected. "I'm not just going to stand here. Harry, protect your sister; I'm going with your father."

"Fine, then," James gave in reluctantly, "but be careful."

Harry's parents raced out before he could protest. He briefly considered following them, but decided against it. _'That's practically the first thing Dad's ever ordered me to do, as far as I recall. And someone needs to stay back, I guess.'_

"Harry, what's going on?" Mari stepped into the room and glanced around. "Where are Mum and Dad?"

"Downstairs," he replied dully. "They said to stay up here."

Sulking, Mari sat on the bed and fingered the sheets sullenly. "I never get to do anything. Whenever something happens, I always get shuffled into the back."

"That's to keep you from getting hurt," Harry pointed out. "And it's not necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes, you have to fight even if you don't want to. I, for one, would appreciate a vacation — well, from attacks, I mean. I don't like sitting on the sidelines any more than you do."

His sister considered this thoughtfully. "Then why are you here and not downstairs? Isn't this called sitting on the sidelines?"

"Mum and Dad told me to. Though, this waiting is beginning to get on my nerves." He started to pace. "I wish I knew how many Death Ea—"

Someone screamed. In the blink of an eye, Harry flew into the hallway and almost tripped on the steps in his haste. _'That's Mum! What's going on?'_

"_Stupefy!_"

"_Avada Kedavra!_"

"_Petrificus Totalus!_"

"_Protego! Reducto!_"

"_Protego! Impedimenta!_"

"_Crucio!_"

Another yell sent a wave of adrenalin coursing though Harry's veins. Bursting out the front door, he raised his wand. "_Stupefy!_"

The deatheater torturing James barely dodged the spell, but instead of retaliating, he called, "Potter's turned! Grab them and let's go!"

Not too far away, Lily was dueling with two other cloaked men. At the command, they both Stunned her and all three vanished, using what looked like a portkey.

"No! _Stupefy_, _stupefy_, _stupefy!_" Harry fired rapidly, hoping to save his father, but the remaining figures avoided his attempts. One of them grabbed James and a moment later, the yard was empty, save for the solitary teen.


	11. Mission Impossible

**Disclaimer: **I'm afraid that my limited brain capacity would never allow me to produce such a wonderful concept as Harry Potter, nor would my finances allow me to buy him. Therefore, I regretfully state that I own neither Harry Potter, nor any other characters that you may recognize. I'm not even sure if I own the plot.

**Note: **I'm assuming that you already know the basic story of Harry Potter from books 1 through 5.

'_Italics'_ stand for thoughts/letters or text

Chapter Eleven: Mission Impossible

_Day Three, Morning_:

"I just got my parents back and then Voldemort gets them again!" Harry raged as he stormed back and forth across the living room of Number 12 Grimmauld Place. "Why does this always happen to me!"

"Harry, calm down," Sirius pleaded. "There's nothing you can do."

"No? I have to try!"

"You can't, Harry. Voldemort's taken them to Azkaban. No one has ever come back from there alive except for a few Death Eaters."

"Technically, I _was_ a Death Eater," his godson snapped. Then, a thought struck him. "Azkaban? Voldemort's taken over Azkaban?"

"Yeah, about two years ago."

Harry's gaze was full of determination. "I'm going. Try to stop me if you like, but I am NOT leaving my parents in that awful place! Where's my trunk?"

"Probably still at Godric's Hollow. But, Harry —"

The teen had Flooed out before Sirius could complete his statement.

…………

_Day Three, Afternoon_:

Knowing that it would be foolish to infiltrate Azkaban without some sort of plan, Harry dug out his pensieve and sifted through it for any pertinent information. A few minutes of searching told him two important things: Azkaban was still guarded by dementors, and the cells were keyed to only the Dark mark, or Parseltongue. That was all the information he needed. In this world, he had been to the prison once or twice, and knew his way around reasonably well.

_'Great! I'm all set then,'_ he thought to himself, as he strapped on his wand holsters and various weapons. _'Let's see, what else might I need? Maybe I should take Dad's invisibility cloak. I guess it would be in his room. Ah, there it is. I wonder if I should leave a note. Naw, Sirius will know where I went.'_

He chose to use his Animagus form to get there. A flash of fire later, he appeared over the ocean surrounding the dark, gloomy island. Taking a deep breath, he dove through the wards and circled the fortress slowly.

_'Now where would Voldemort put them? Probably in the top security cells. Hmm.' _Quickly, he squeezed through a window into an abandoned room and transformed back, sliding under the invisibility cloak immediately. Creeping silently through the corridors, Harry made his way into the depths of Azkaban.

Nothing hindered him until he was close to where he guessed his parents were. As he was about to start calling for them, two dementors turned the corner.

"_Expecto patronum!_" he muttered. Not bothering to watch his Patronus, he ran down the hall, pausing to peer into each cell. "Mum? Dad? Can you guys hear me? Hello?"

"Harry?" James' voice drifted through the building. "Harry, is that you?"

"Where are you?" he called back.

"I think we're somewhere towards your right."

Harry sighed with relief when he found them. "Dad, are you okay? Where's Mum?" His father motioned to the far corner of the chamber.

"She's sleeping. I'm fine, just a little sore. But how are you going to get us out of here?"

"Well…promise not to judge me by this?"

"What are you talking about?"

The teen gulped and said softly, "Dad, I'm a Parselmouth."

"Really? How?"

"Never mind that." Leaning closer, Harry saw that a small black snake was etched in the wall. "_Open_," he hissed softly in Parseltongue. The door swung open easily and he stepped inside. "Do you have your wands?"

James shook his head. "I dropped mine before I got grabbed and so did your mother, I think."

"Okay then, they're probably still back at the house. Mum, it's time to wake up now."

Lily blinked and rolled over. "What? Harry?"

"Come on; we need to get moving before Voldemort finds out I'm here."

No sooner had the words left his mouth, than a surge of pain from his scar made him double over, gasping. A cold, chilling feeling swept over him as several dementors approached, and in the distance, he could sense the Dark Lord coming.

He made up his mind quickly. "Dad, here's your invisibility cloak. Can you and Mum sneak out? I'll cover for you."

"I'm not leaving you here!" James protested. "He'll kill you!"

Smiling ruefully, Harry handed his father his spare wand, tossed the cloak over both his parents, and shoved them out of the cell. "In my world, I've faced Voldemort five — no, six — times and I'm still not dead. Now go that way. If you swim out a short ways into the ocean, you should be able to get past the wards and Apparate out. Go!"

Before either of them could stop him, he whirled around and ran towards the dementors, brandishing his wand. "_Expecto patronum!_" They gave way before the silver stag, allowing Harry to charge through.

"Well, well, if it isn't my heir," a mocking voice sneered. Voldemort leaned against the wall casually as Harry tried to catch his breath. "Tell me, Harry, what made you betray me? I'm terribly hurt."

"Good for you," Harry gasped. "_Stupefy!_"

"_Protego,_" the Dark Lord murmured lazily. "_Imperio!_"

The spell hit its target dead on, but Harry focused his thoughts and shook it off, sending a stream of curses in return. For what seemed like hours, they dueled ferociously, matching teacher against student, villain against hero.

"Why don't you give up, Harry?" Voldemort asked, his tone almost kind. "You'll never win against me."

"I will!" his erstwhile apprentice shouted defiantly. "Good will always triumph over evil!"

"When did you become such a Gryffindor? You know, I suspected that you would change sides when I saw your phoenix Animagus form. After all, how could such a Light creature represent my own heir?"

Pausing only to dodge a curse, Voldemort continued his rant. "But you seemed to be such a devoted Death Eater that I passed it off as being perhaps a sign of your birth, since you were born of one of the greatest Light families ever. It never mattered much, especially when I saw that you couldn't duplicate any of the magical properties of a phoenix. I thought it wasn't worth my attention. A foolish mistake, I admit. Now, I see your true colors."

_'Magical properties? But I can travel by phoenix flight!'_ Harry mused in surprise. _'Wait a minute! Maybe I _can_ get out of here. I can't believe I didn't think of this before!'_

"Thanks for reminding me!" he chuckled. Transforming, he summoned as much energy as he could and vanished.

Seconds later, a phoenix materialized in the Potter's living room, shifted back into a teenage boy, and collapsed.


	12. The Way Home

**Disclaimer: **I'm afraid that my limited brain capacity would never allow me to produce such a wonderful concept as Harry Potter, nor would my finances allow me to buy him. Therefore, I regretfully state that I own neither Harry Potter, nor any other characters that you may recognize. I'm not even sure if I own the plot.

**Note: **I'm assuming that you already know the basic story of Harry Potter from books 1 through 5.

'_Italics'_ stand for thoughts/letters or text

Chapter Twelve: The Way Home

_Day Three, Afternoon_:

_Crack!_

Sirius shot to his feet. "What was that!"

"Sirius? Remus? Hey, is anyone here?"

"James?" Remus ran into the front hallway, almost colliding with Sirius. "James! How did you get back? What happened?"

"Hey, what am I, chopped liver?" Lily joked weakly. "Can one of you cast a drying charm before James and I freeze to death?"

"Sure," Sirius muttered, suiting action to words. "Oh yeah, here are your wands; you dropped them at Godric's Hollow. Whose wand is that?"

"It's Harry's spare," James explained. "Is he back yet?"

"Harry! What did he do! Where is he!" Sirius shouted in alarm.

"He got us out of Azkaban," Lily explained. "Speaking of which, how did he do that, James?"

"I'll tell you when Dumbledore and the Order get here; that way, I don't have to repeat myself. But that can wait until we find how Harry is."

"How is he going to get out of there?" Remus wanted to know.

"If he got in, he should be able to get out," James reasoned. "Then again, it might be harder once the Death Eaters realize that he's there."

Lily fingered her wand anxiously. "I hope he's all right. Is there some way we can help him?"

"If he did get out, wouldn't he head for Godric's Hollow, first? Maybe you should go wait there for him," Remus suggested. "I'll fire-call Dumbledore and tell him you're safe. You-Know-Who didn't hurt you, did he?"

"No, not really," Lily replied absentmindedly. "Nothing permanent, anyway. I guess you're right, Remus, James and I will go home and wait for Harry."

…………

_Day Three, Afternoon_:

"Did you hear something!" Jumping to his feet, James drew his wand and started into the living room. When he caught sight of Harry, he immediately dashed forward, almost dropping his wand. "Harry! Lily, come here!"

Lily hurried in to see James laying their son down on the couch. The teen was pale and exhausted, and appeared to have been hit by a few curses. James began to cast healing spells, while Lily went to get Dumbledore, Sirius, and Remus. By the time they arrived, Harry was resting peacefully.

"Should we wake him up?"

Remus glared at Sirius. "Padfoot, Harry just escaped from Azkaban after dueling with who knows how many Death Eaters! Don't you think he deserves some rest?"

"Remus is right," Dumbledore agreed. "We can wait until young Mr. Potter is fully rested, though I must admit I am curiously about what happened."

…………

_Day Three, Late Night_:

Harry did not wake up for several hours. It was late when he finally opened his eyes and stretched. To his surprise, he found himself tucked into his bed, in his pajamas. _'What happened now?'_ he wondered with a hint of exasperation. _'It seems like not a day goes by without me fainting. At least I'm not in the hospital wing again. Let's see…'_

'_I think I was in Azkaban helping Mum and Dad get out…and then Voldemort came…oh, right! I used phoenix flight to get out. But I thought Voldemort said that I couldn't use any of the magical abilities! And that's what my 'memories' say, too. Maybe I couldn't before, because I was evil. I guess that would explain it. If I'm home, then I guess Mum and Dad are okay.'_

Getting up, Harry padded down the stairs. Despite the fact that it was past midnight, Lily, James, Sirius, Remus, and Dumbledore were still awake. They sat in kitchen, talking. When Harry heard them, he paused outside, giving in to the temptation to eavesdrop.

"Are you certain this will work, Albus?" Remus sounded doubtful. "What if something goes wrong? How do you know Harry won't get hurt, or even killed? If he goes, and this doesn't work right, we'll never be able to defeat You-Know-Who!"

Intrigued, Harry listened closely as Lily spoke up, sounding close to tears. "Do we have to send him back? You know he has no parents there, and I would be more than happy to have him stay with James and me…"

"You know this isn't his home, Lily," the headmaster told her solemnly. "You knew from the start that he would have to leave soon. I know that you've missed your son all these years, but Harry has his own destiny in his own world. If he stays here, who will defeat Voldemort in _his_ reality?"

"But, Albus," James protested weakly. "Are you sure we can't wait a few more months? Lily and I want to get to know him! He's still our son, regardless of what dimension he comes from."

"No, James, if we're going to do this, it must be done tomorrow, because of the alignment of the planets and the stars. This ritual can only be done at a certain time; I explained this already. If we miss our chance, we won't be able to try again for at least another year. As it is, we're very lucky that the timing is so close."

"But still, like Remus said, how do we know that this will work?" Sirius demanded. "I'm not losing my godson again!"

Dumbledore started to respond, when his senses caught a faint flicker of magic. Smiling, he said, "You can come in now, Mr. Potter."

James looked confused, until he saw his son enter the room, grinning sheepishly.

"What were you talking about?" the teen asked.

"A way to send you home," Sirius told him reluctantly. "Albus found an old spell that will open the gateway between worlds."

"The gateway between worlds," Harry repeated skeptically. "What makes you think that you can find the right world? There could be millions! Besides, I'm not so sure I even want to go home."

"Think of your friends," Dumbledore urged. "Won't they be worried about you? If the Harry from this reality took your place, just think about what could be happening there!"

His words made Harry freeze. _'He's right. I can't stay here and let my evil counterpart run around killing people! Who knows what he's done already! Ron and Hermione will think I've gone insane and turned into the next Dark Lord or something! But…I can't give up Mum and Dad and Mari! I just met them! I wonder if it's possible to come visit. What would happen if there were two of me?'_

He put the question to Dumbledore, who shook his head sadly. "That would not be possible. According to the theories of magic, two of the same people simple cannot exist. Either one of you would disappear, or the two of you would merge."

"Then how are you going to send me home?"

"The gateway is supposed to exchange you two at the same instant, so that there is only one of you per dimension."

"_Supposed_ to? I don't like the sound of that. Anyway, what are you going to do here? If you send me back, then your Harry will still be evil."

"Hopefully, your parents and I will be able to persuade him to desert Voldemort. Now that we have seen what could have happened, we know that he is not beyond help. Originally, I thought you might be able to help us in the war, but I cannot allow your home world to suffer. If we can get the Harry from this world under our control, it will give us an edge in the war anyway."

Sighing heavily, Harry sank into a chair and rested his head in his hands as he debated mentally. _'I do have a responsibility to my own world, and if I still remember everything from this little trip, I just might have a chance, especially if Voldemort underestimates me. Plus the other me will probably have done a lot of damage._

_The public worships me; if they thought I turned Dark, they would all lose hope. On the other hand, Sirius is here, and my parents. I can't just give that up! Is it possible to communicate between dimensions? Probably not. How can I choose between my parents, and Ron and Hermione?'_

"Just what does this whole gateway thing involve?" Harry queried.

"It's actually fairly simple, but it must be done at exactly noon the day after tomorrow. There are some spells that I will perform, and I'll need some of your blood, to ensure that the gateway doesn't accidentally pull anyone else in. You don't have to do anything except go through, and it won't hurt at all," Dumbledore assured him.

_'I suppose I should be glad that I even got this opportunity to meet Mum and Dad,'_ Harry thought wearily. _'I don't think I even have a choice; Professor Dumbledore will make me go back no matter what.'_

"Well, Harry?" Sirius broke the silence, though he seemed unsure whether or not he wanted to hear the answer.

"Fine. I'll do it."


	13. To Open a Gateway

**Disclaimer: **I'm afraid that my limited brain capacity would never allow me to produce such a wonderful concept as Harry Potter, nor would my finances allow me to buy him. Therefore, I regretfully state that I own neither Harry Potter, nor any other characters that you may recognize. I'm not even sure if I own the plot.

**Note: **I'm assuming that you already know the basic story of Harry Potter from books 1 through 5.

'_Italics'_ stand for thoughts/letters or text

Chapter Thirteen: To Open a Gateway

_Day Four, Afternoon_:

"Professor Dumbledore?"

"Yes, Harry?"

"Um, I had some questions I wanted to ask you," Harry explained awkwardly. "About this world, and what happened, and how I'm going home. Do you have some time to spare?"

"Certainly," the elderly wizard said, smiling as he watched the teen shuffle into the room. "Sit down, Harry. There's no need to be so nervous. Don't forget; you do have a reputation to keep up. It wouldn't do for the wizarding world to see Voldemort's most dangerous follower getting embarrassed, now would it?" Amused in spite of himself, Harry relaxed and sank into the couch in the living room of Number 12 Grimmauld Place.

"Excellent. Now, what did you want to ask me?"

"Well, first of all, there's something I should show you." Standing up, Harry transformed into his Animagus form, startling Dumbledore slightly, and back again. "You see, I can change into a phoenix."

"That is certainly unusual. There are very few magical Animagi. Tell me, can you imitate a phoenix's magical properties as well?"

"Er, I'm not sure; that's one of the things I wanted to talk to you about. You see, I dueled Voldemort at Azkaban, and he happened to mention that I couldn't use any of the magical abilities of my Animagus form. I checked my, um, memories, and I know he was telling the truth, but the thing is, I can travel by phoenix flight. Isn't that a magical talent?"

Dumbledore considered the question thoughtfully. "Hmm, yes, I would say phoenix flight is definitely a magical talent. Do you think you could transform for me and cry some tears so I can see if they have healing properties?"

"I guess I could try," Harry agreed doubtfully. He shifted forms and tried to think of the saddest moments of his life. It wasn't as hard as he had expected considering the kind of life he had had so far, and before long, a few thick pearly tears rolled down his plumage. Once Dumbledore had captured them in a vial, Harry returned to his human form and waited expectantly. "So?"

Using a minor cutting hex to create a shallow gash on his arm, the headmaster tipped the tears onto the wound and watch it heal. "Ah, well, that seems to settle the question. Congratulations, Harry, you can now heal yourself with your own tears."

"But…how?"

"I cannot give you a definite answer, but I would venture to guess that your magical abilities can only be used when you are working for the Light side. After all, phoenixes are Light creatures."

"I guess that makes sense," Harry concluded. "Does that mean that when the other 'me' comes back, he won't be able to do this?"

"I suppose not. Was that all, or did you want to ask me something else?"

"I also wanted to ask you how I got here. The last thing I remember is being hit with the Killing Curse. You, or at least, you from my world, sent a spell at me and they both struck at the same time. Then I woke up here. What happened?"

"That's rather hard to say, Harry," Dumbledore pointed out. "I have no idea what spell my counterpart used; you'll have to ask him when you get back."

"If I wanted to come back here, could I? Using the spell that you're going to use?"

"That is doubtful, Harry," Dumbledore informed him. "There is little chance of you actually landing in this particular dimension."

"But then how do you know I'll go back to the right universe?" Harry exclaimed, worried.

"Oh, you will naturally be drawn back to your home world," Dumbledore reassured him. "But going from your home world to another dimension would be a risky business."

"Isn't there some way I could communicate with this world?"

"I'm afraid not."

After a moment, Harry changed the subject. "So tell me about this dimension. Do you know Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger?"

"Yes; Mr. Weasley is Gryffindor's Quidditch Captain, and Ms. Granger is the smartest witch in the whole school. I presume they were friends of yours?"

"Yup. What about Ginny Weasley, Luna Lovegood, and Neville Longbottom?"

"Mr. Longbottom is a fine wizard, well on his way to becoming an Auror like his parents. Ms. Weasley and Ms. Lovegood are excellent witches, though Ms. Lovegood is rumored to be somewhat…odd."

"Yeah, that sounds like Luna. Is Professor Snape still teaching?"

"As a matter of fact, yes. Did you know that your mother is teaching Charms?"

"Really? I heard she was good at it, but I didn't know she was _that_ good."

"Oh yes, she certainly is. Your father is a well-known Auror, too, the Head of the Department of Law Enforcement, and considered to be the best in England."

"Wow." Eyes shining, Harry leaned forward a little. "Can you tell me more about my parents…"

…………

_Day Five, Afternoon_:

"Ready, Harry? It's almost time."

Harry nodded at Dumbledore reluctantly. He gave his parents one last hug, said his goodbyes to Remus, Sirius, and Mari, and moved to stand in the center of the pentagon chalked onto the backyard of Godric's Hollow. The headmaster waved his wand and began the ritual.

First, Dumbledore cast a spell that separated Harry's soul from his body for a brief period of time. Then, he muttered a long incantation to open a portal. At exactly noon, Harry — or rather, his spirit — floated towards the magical gateway. Pausing briefly to take one last look at his family and friends, he waved to them before allowing the vortex to pull him in.

For what seemed like hours, a swirling luminescent cloud carried him through a dark tunnel. Finally, just as Harry was beginning to feel slightly nauseous, he felt himself falling, falling, falling…

With a gasp, Harry opened his eyes to find himself kneeling on a stone floor. Confused, he glanced up and froze. Around three dozen Death Eaters surrounded him, but that was not the main problem.

Directly in front of him was a large throne, and seated on that throne was the last person he wanted to see at the moment. Voldemort.


	14. Fulfilling the Prophecy

**Disclaimer: **I'm afraid that my limited brain capacity would never allow me to produce such a wonderful concept as Harry Potter, nor would my finances allow me to buy him. Therefore, I regretfully state that I own neither Harry Potter, nor any other characters that you may recognize. I'm not even sure if I own the plot.

**Note: **I'm assuming that you already know the basic story of Harry Potter from books 1 through 5.

'_Italics'_ stand for thoughts/letters or text

Chapter Fourteen: Fulfilling the Prophecy

_Day Five, Afternoon_:

His experience in the other dimension was the only thing that kept him openly gasping or showing signs of shock. Thoughts raced through his head wildly as his panic mounted.

_'Great, just great! The other me must have decided to join Voldemort! Now everyone will think I'm evil! This is just perfect! What am I going to do? Is there some way I can kill him? Does my Occlumency still work?'_ The answer to last question was obviously no, as the pain in his forehead was building by the second.

"So, Potter, are you ready to receive my mark? To swear fealty to me and stand beside me as I rid the world of those who are unworthy?"

_'Um…Oh great! Now what? Okay, I need to say something! Of all the times to be struck speechless!'_ For a split second, Harry was sure that he was doomed, but to his utter surprise, the words came easily, almost too easily. "Yes, my Lord."

(Although he didn't know it, Voldemort had already used Legilimency on his counterpart. It was lucky for Harry that the Dark Lord didn't notice his lie.)

"Excellent. Come here." Heart pounding, Harry rose and walked forward to kneel again before Voldemort's throne. At the Dark Lord's command, he rolled up his sleeve and held his left forearm out.

As Voldemort prepared to mark him, he suddenly regained control of his mental facilities. _'Okay, don't panic. What can I do? I don't want to be marked!'_

Sweat gathered on his forehead and his hand automatically slid towards his wand holster, searching for the comforting length of wood. Unfortunately, not only did he not have a wand holster in this dimension, but his wand was missing as well. No doubt the Death Eaters had taken it before bringing him before Voldemort.

By now, Harry was close to hyperventilating. Thinking frantically, he ran his fingers against his side…and felt the hilt of a dagger sheathed at his thigh. Without thinking, he drew it, the movement hidden in his flowing black robes.

"_Morsmor—_" Voldemort began, but before he could finish the word, Harry brought his right arm up lightning fast and slammed the blade of his dagger straight into the Dark Lord's chest.

Black blood spurted out, flowing over Harry's fist. He gaped at the wound for a moment, stunned, until a Killing Curse from one of the deatheaters drew his attention. Flinging himself sideways, he watched in surprise as the green light hit Voldemort instead.

'_How ironic. Voldemort detests Muggle things, and yet he dies by a Muggle weapon, and then by his follower's hand.'_ As if the first spell had been a signal, the other wizards began firing their own hexes.

Knowing that it would be difficult, if not impossible, to take down all of the deatheaters, Harry grabbed Voldemort's wand and dove behind the throne. There was a break in the stream of curses, for no one wanted to hit their master by accident. Harry used the respite to take a quick inventory.

'_Let's see, one wand, which should work since it's similar to mine, um, oh good, two daggers — boy, those deatheaters aren't very good at searching people. Hey, I wonder if I can use my Animagus form?'_

Sending a quick prayer to whoever was watching over him, Harry closed his eyes and tried to transform. Pain filled his body as muscle and bone rearranged themselves. However, no sooner had he completed his transformation than a jolt of energy forced him back into his human form. _'Anti-Animagus wards. I should have known.'_

Then, something else distracted him. Apparently, a dagger in the heart wasn't enough to kill Lord Voldemort.

…………

_Day Five, Afternoon_:

"What's this? Treachery?" Voldemort sneered, rising to his feet and looming over his nemesis.

Mentally cursing his counterpart for putting him in this situation, Harry drew both of his remaining daggers and hurled himself forward. Astonishingly enough, it worked. Caught off guard, Voldemort tumbled backward, landing face-up with Harry on top and two blades plunged into his stomach. While the injuries weren't exactly fatal, they were certainly inconvenient.

"POTTER! You'll pay for that!"

Frightened at the waves of sheer anger that were flowing off his enemy, Harry pointed his wand — well, Voldemort's wand — and spat off a row of Killing Curses. The wand, accustomed as it was to Dark magic, channeled the energy well. Bright green filled his vision, blocking out the sight of the shocked Death Eaters. They were frozen in place, unable to fire any spells for fear of hitting Voldemort.

By now, Harry had no idea whether or not Voldemort was dead, but since it seemed like this was the best chance he would ever have, he continued firing curse after curse at the form beneath him while his free hand found the hilt of one of his knives and yanked it out.

Not daring to let up his magical attack, he continued spouting off spells, but at the same time, he gripped the weapon and dragged it across Voldemort's throat. Liquid drenched his hand, burning his skin, and he jumped up, wiping the blood on his robes.

"_AVADA KEDAVRA!_"

Almost every Death Eater in the room shot the killing curse at him in an unexpected display of unity. There was no time to think.

"_Wingardium Leviosa!_" Harry cried as he dove to the ground, pointing the wand at Voldemort's supine figure and levitating it into the path of the spells. Some thirty-odd streaks of light hit the Dark Lord at the same instant. It was simply too much magic for even his immortalized body to take.

A huge explosion rocked the mansion; black fire roared up, consuming the structure, and the walls and ceilings began to crumble. In the center of the room, still levitating, Voldemort's form disintegrated. Tom Riddle was no more.


	15. Identity Crisis, Part One

**Disclaimer: **I'm afraid that my limited brain capacity would never allow me to produce such a wonderful concept as Harry Potter, nor would my finances allow me to buy him. Therefore, I regretfully state that I own neither Harry Potter, nor any other characters that you may recognize. I'm not even sure if I own the plot.

**Note: **I'm assuming that you already know the basic story of Harry Potter from books 1 through 5.

'_Italics'_ stand for thoughts/letters or text

Chapter Fifteen: Identity Crisis, Part One

_Day Five, Afternoon_:

There was barely enough time for Harry to put up a shield before Voldemort's body exploded in a blaze of light. Sparks showered down and flames sprang up. Despite the Death Eaters' best efforts, nothing could contain the magical blast.

_'We're all going to die,'_ Harry realized in surprise. _'This whole building is falling down and there's no way to get out fast enough. I'm going to die.'_ But even as he thought this, he felt the anti-Animagus wards around the area fall. However, the anti-apparation and the anti-portkey wards remained firm, being stronger and better constructed.

Taking one last glance at the trapped wizards around him, he prepared to shift into his Animagus form. Hopefully, he could still do it, even if he had not done the necessary preparations in this dimension. Then, he remembered something. _'Professor Snape! Is he here? Where is he?'_

Hastily, he scanned the ranks of Death Eaters, but it was hard to see in the smoke. "Professor Snape!" he yelled as loudly as he dared.

Someone staggered through the rubble and collapsed outside of his magical barrier. "Potter, are you mad? Get out of here!"

Dispersing his shield, Harry whispered, "Grab hold of my tail feathers, Professor," and transformed, laughing inwardly at the bewildered expression on his teacher's face at the mention of 'tail feathers.'

Snape shrugged off his confusion and shock and did as he was told. The two vanished in a burst of flame just as the hall crumbled. They reappeared outside in the midst of a grove of trees. Harry returned to his human form and staggered out — only to find himself facing a group of stony-faced Aurors, wands pointed directly at him.

…………

_Day Five, Afternoon_:

"Albus, there's been a huge magical explosion not too far from Hogwarts!" Auror Kingsley Shacklebolt gasped out. "Did you feel the backlash?"

"I did," Dumbledore confirmed. "The entire castle was shaking. What happened?"

"We don't know yet. A team of Aurors went down to investigate it; I thought you'd like to know in case you want to go see for yourself."

"Thank you, Kingsley. Where exactly was it?"

"Some manor about twenty-five miles south of Hogsmeade. I always thought it was abandoned."

Paling slightly, the headmaster pulled out a map and studied it. "Kingsley, Severus was called to a meeting about an hour ago, and I had a Tracking Spell on him. That magical explosion would have cancelled the charm out by now, but I'm pretty sure that when I checked it earlier, he was in that general vicinity."

"What! Are you saying that there was a Death Eater meeting on this spot?"

"I'm afraid so."

"I'd better contact the team down there and warn them, then. I'll talk to you later, Albus."

When the Auror had cut the connection, Dumbledore hurried outside until he passed the anti-apparation wards. From there, he apparated as closely to the site of the disturbance as he could and walked the rest of the way. He arrived just in time to see a group of Aurors pointing their wands at a black-robed figure leaning against a tree.

"What's going on here?" he inquired.

"This is the only Death Eater to survive the explosion," a wizard informed him quietly.

Curious but wary, Dumbledore stepped closer and gasped when the person glanced up. "Mr. Potter!"

…………

_Day Five, Afternoon_:

_'I so did not need this,'_ Harry thought wearily, lowering his head, and turning slightly aside as he tried to hide his identity. Feeling fatigue overcome him, he sagged against a nearby tree truck and deliberated what to do.

"Surrender peacefully and you will not be harmed!" one of the aurors yelled. "You can't escape!"

Resigned, Harry was just about to obey when he noticed the approaching headmaster and decided to wait a moment. The elderly wizard spoke to the Aurors before moving towards him.

Although he was unsure of what his counterpart had been up to, Harry hoped that Dumbledore would listen to his story and help him out, so he tilted his chin upward and made eye contact. Upon seeing him, Dumbledore's expression immediately became cold and expressionless.

"Mr. Potter! What do you think you're doing here?"

"I was—" Harry started to reply, but stopped when he realized that he had no plausible explanation. To cover up his hesitation, he started coughing.

"You had better come with me up to Hogwarts; Madam Pomfrey can get you something for the smoke," Dumbledore said, sounding displeased.

"Wait— Professor Snape is over there, sir," Harry whispered, gesturing back into the woods.

"Very well, I'll see to it." He called an order to an Auror before pulling an emergency portkey from his pocket. "Hang on tight, Mr. Potter."

Harry's last thought before the sickening sensation in his stomach overcame him was _'He usually calls me Harry. What on earth have I done here!'_

…………

_Day Five, Afternoon_:

No sooner had they landed in the headmaster's office, than Dumbledore whipped out his wand and disarmed Harry, who looked hurt but did not protest.

"I demand an explanation, Mr. Potter. Two of your classmates have claimed that you bear the Dark Mark, and another has testified to having seen you contact the Dark Lord. Now I find you at a Death Eater meeting. What do you have to say for yourself?"


	16. Identity Crisis, Part Two

**Disclaimer: **I'm afraid that my limited brain capacity would never allow me to produce such a wonderful concept as Harry Potter, nor would my finances allow me to buy him. Therefore, I regretfully state that I own neither Harry Potter, nor any other characters that you may recognize. I'm not even sure if I own the plot.

**Note: **I'm assuming that you already know the basic story of Harry Potter from books 1 through 5.

'_Italics'_ stand for thoughts/letters or text

Chapter Sixteen: Identity Crisis, Part Two

_Day Five, Afternoon_:

"Professor, I can explain!" Harry pleaded urgently. He pulled back his sleeve and thrust his arm at the headmaster. "See? I don't have a Dark Mark! I would never join Voldemort!"

This vehement denial made Dumbledore relax slightly, but he still looked doubtful. "Then what, pray tell, were you doing at a Death Eater meeting?"

"Um…killing Voldemort."

"Really. Did you succeed?"

"I…I think so…it's kind of hard to tell…"

At that moment, Professor McGonagall burst into the room. "Albus, there are some Ministry workers here; they want to make sure the school isn't damaged in any way because of that expl— Mr. Potter! Is that blood on your robes?"

Glancing down at the crimson splotches, Harry winced. "Y…yes, Professor."

"What have you been do—!"

For the second time in as many minutes, the door flew open again. It was Ron and Hermione, who seemed to have guessed the password.

"Guys!" Harry exclaimed, his face lighting up, but to his dismay, Ron immediately snarled at him, while Hermione shrank away, looking oddly hurt.

"Stay back, you Death Eater!" the redhead cried.

"What are you talking about?" Harry asked, his heart sinking. "I'm not a Death Eater!" Hastily, he gestured towards his still bared arm.

Ron glanced at it and frowned. "How— it must be an illusion! I _know_ you had the Dark Mark this morning!"

"I didn't!" Harry protested loudly. "I've never had the Dark Mark! Just let me explain!"

"Then what did you mean this morning, Harry?" Hermione inquired in a whisper.

"Huh? What did I say?"

"You…you called me…a stuck-up, know-it-all, b-bossy Mudb-blood," Hermione mumbled, staring at the floor. Obviously, she was very upset.

"I— I would never—!" Harry gasped, stunned at what his counterpart had said. "I— Hermione…"

"Well, Mr. Potter, I'm still waiting for your explanation," Dumbledore stated coldly.

"Okay…I know this going to be really hard to believe, but I'm telling the truth: the Harry that has been here for the past week wasn't me."

"What!" Ron, Hermione, and Professor McGonagall shouted at the same time.

"Are you delusional?" Ron scoffed. "You honestly expect us to believe that? What, it was an imposter?"

"Um, yes and no," Harry stammered. "You see, that day when Voldemort tried to kill me — the spell that Professor Dumbledore hit me with accidentally transported me into another dimension, an alternate reality. The me in that dimension got sent here."

"A likely story," Professor McGonagall sniffed.

"Professor Dumbledore, you're a Legilimens! Can't you see I'm telling the truth?" Harry begged.

The Headmaster was unconvinced. "Under normal circumstances, yes, but you seem to have suddenly gained some impressive Occlumency shields, Mr. Potter."

Desperate almost to the point of hysteria, Harry looked frantically around the office, searching for anything, _anything,_ that could prove his innocence. Suddenly, his gaze fell on a perch in the corner, and he remembered Dumbledore's familiar.

"Fawkes!" he called. "Fawkes, I need you!"

"Don't waste your breath," Ron spat. "Phoenixes are Light creatures; they wouldn't come to a Death Eater like you!"

Glancing from one face to another, Harry saw that they were all turned against him. None of them believed him. A feeling of despair washed over him, and he bowed his head. If not even his best friends trusted him, who would?


	17. The Mad Minister

**Disclaimer: **I'm afraid that my limited brain capacity would never allow me to produce such a wonderful concept as Harry Potter, nor would my finances allow me to buy him. Therefore, I regretfully state that I own neither Harry Potter, nor any other characters that you may recognize. I'm not even sure if I own the plot.

**Note: **I'm assuming that you already know the basic story of Harry Potter from books 1 through 5.

'_Italics'_ stand for thoughts/letters or text

Chapter Seventeen: The Mad Minister

_Day Five, Afternoon_:

All of a sudden, there was a flash of flame, and Fawkes appeared. The magnificent bird let out a trill that instantly soothed Harry's panic before flying to rest on his shoulder, nibbling his ear.

"Thanks, Fawkes," Harry whispered in relief, stroking the bright plumage. Looking up again, he asked, "Do you believe me now?"

"Professor?" Hermione ventured. "Is that…is that really Fawkes? It's not a trick, is it?"

Dumbledore examined at the phoenix carefully. Then, he leaned back and smiled, the twinkle in his eye beginning to return. "That is indeed Fawkes. It appears I owe you an apology, Harry."

Harry relaxed and returned the smile. Personally, he thought they placed a little too much faith in Fawkes's judgment, but he was hardly going to complain. "It's okay, Professor. I understand how you would have been suspicious."

"Er…were you serious about the alternate dimension thing?" Ron asked cautiously.

"Yes, I was," Harry replied firmly, looking his best friend in the eye. "Do you believe me?"

The redhead too a deep breath, obviously fighting an internal battle, before he nodded. "Yes. I believe you. I'm sorry, mate; I should have known you'd never go Dark."

"Me too," Hermione whispered. "I…I wasn't thinking right."

"I—" Harry began, but before he could respond, the door flew open to admit the Minister of Magic. Behind him trailed the group of Aurors whom McGonagall had been trying to tell Dumbledore about.

"Dumbledore! What is going on?" Fudge demanded. "Is it true that Potter's become a Death Eater?"

"Certainly not, Cornelius," Dumbledore answered calmly. "If you will just look over there, you can see quite clearly that he doesn't have the Dark Mark."

"What happened out there earlier?" Fudge continued. "What was that explosion?" Whirling around, he glared at Harry. "What did you do?"

Eyes narrowing, Harry lifted his head and met the Minister's gaze defiantly. "I killed Voldemort, sir."

"Preposterous; you couldn't possibly be capable of such a thing!" Fudge snapped. "Tell me the truth!"

Exasperated, Harry threw his hands in the air and yelled, "Why won't you people believe me?"

"Where's your proof?" Fudge countered stubbornly.

A new thought occurred to Harry. "Professor, may I borrow your Pensieve?" he requested politely.

"Certainly," the Headmaster agreed, producing the stone basin.

Carefully, Harry drew his memory of Voldemort's demise from his head and dropped it in. "There you go, Minister," he invited, waving towards the silvery threads in the Pensieve. "I'm sure that will answer all of your questions."

Still looking suspicious, Fudge and a few of the Aurors crowded around the Pensieve and disappeared into its depths. They returned a few minutes later, somewhat shaken up. Most of them seemed shocked. Fudge, however, was smirking.

"Aurors, arrest him!" he ordered, pointing to Harry.

"What?" Harry spluttered, backing up in alarm. "What for?"

"Harry didn't do anything!" Hermione added furiously. "You can't arrest him for no reason!"

"Oh, there certainly is a reason. You, Harry James Potter, are under arrest for attempting to join the Death Eaters," Fudge announced smugly. "The penalty for such a crime is a life sentence in Azkaban."


	18. Trial By Veritaserum

**Disclaimer: **I'm afraid that my limited brain capacity would never allow me to produce such a wonderful concept as Harry Potter, nor would my finances allow me to buy him. Therefore, I regretfully state that I own neither Harry Potter, nor any other characters that you may recognize. I'm not even sure if I own the plot.

**Note: **I'm assuming that you already know the basic story of Harry Potter from books 1 through 5.

'_Italics'_ stand for thoughts/letters or text

Chapter Eighteen: Trial by Veritaserum

_Day Eight, Afternoon_:

The courtroom was packed. By now, everyone had heard about the defeat of Lord Voldemort and the subsequent arrest of the Boy-Who-Lived. People crowded the spectator's gallery so thickly that Aurors had to push them back and stand guard.

At the stroke of nine, the doors slammed, shutting out the unfortunates who had been too late to get a seat, and the Wizengamot entered, Fudge leading the way imperiously. Once they had seated themselves, the Minister motioned to some officials, who opened a side door. Harry was led in, chained and flanked by several guards.

"The court is in session!" Fudge declared pompously. "The trial of Harry James Potter shall now commence. Mr. Potter, you are accused of attempting to join the Death Eaters, which is treason against Britain. How do you plead?"

"Not guilty," Harry said defiantly.

"The court calls for the use of veritaserum," Fudge announced. One of the Aurors approached Harry with a vial of clear liquid and motioned for him to open his mouth, which he did after a moment's hesitation.

"What is your name?" the Auror asked.

"Harry James Potter."

"When were you born?"

"July 31, 1980."

"Where is your current place of residence?"

"Number Four Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey."

"The veritaserum is working," the Auror informed Fudge, who nodded and began the questioning.

"Mr. Potter, have you ever purposely sought out You-Know-Who?"

"No."

This unexpected reply made Fudge pause in confusion. "No?"

"No, I did not." In the back of his mind, Harry realized that Fudge didn't know about his dimension traveling, and as he had only seen the memory starting from after his arrival from the other universe, he truly thought that Harry couldn't escape his accusations. All of his claims had been carefully phrased to reflect that.

"Did you intend, at any point in the past week, to ask to be marked with the Dark Mark?"

"No."

Now beginning to look frantic, Fudge fumbled for another question. "Um…Mr. Potter, were you in the company of Death Eaters at any time during the past week?"

"Yes."

"And what were you doing? Were you talking with them?"

"No. I was fighting them."

"Er, did you ever ask You-Know-Who to mark you?"

"No."

"When asked if you were ready to be marked, what did you say?"

"Yes."

Relieved to have finally gotten an admission, Fudge smirked. "So you agreed to be marked?"

"Yes."

"There we go. Witches and wizards of the Wizengamot, we have heard the confession from the accused himself! You can clearly see that—"

"One moment, Minister!" a witch called sharply. "You accused the boy of attempting to join the Death Eaters, but he just said he never asked You-Know-Who to mark him!"

"Ah, but Madam Bones, when asked, he agreed to join the Death Eaters! That is treason!" Fudge pointed out smugly.

"Minister, perhaps some further questioning would shed more light on the matter," Dumbledore spoke up. "May I?"

"Dumbledore, you cannot interfere! You are a judge and you are supposed to be impartial!" Fudge yelled.

"In that case, I withdraw my vote," Dumbledore stated serenely. "I will stand for the defendant."

"Fine!"

"The defendant requests further questioning."

Glaring, Fudge tried to find a reason to deny Dumbledore, but failed. Reluctantly, he agreed. "The request is granted."

Turning to Harry, Dumbledore calmly inquired, "Mr. Potter, why did you agree to take the Dark Mark?"

"I was surrounded by Death Eaters and in front of Voldemort himself. I agreed in order to buy time to escape," Harry replied flatly. Upon hearing this, the audience began to murmur.

"Silence! Order in the court!" Fudge shouted, his face red with suppressed anger. "Is there any other evidence to present?" When no one came forward, he tapped his wand against his stand, making it shoot sparks. "The Wizengamot with withdraw and convene to pass judgment."

While the various witches and wizards debated in a sealed off room, Harry took the antidote to the veritaserum and sat waiting impatiently. Having spent the last three days in a Ministry holding cell, he was eager to leave. Glancing over at Dumbledore, he was pleasantly startled to see the Headmaster wink at him.

Suddenly, the far doors opened again, and the Wizengamot emerged, followed by a clearly outraged Fudge. "The Wizengamot finds the defendant Harry James Potter innocent of all charges," he spat sullenly.

Grinning broadly, Harry held out his hands so that his guard could unlock the chains before running across the courtroom to where Hermione and Ron had been watching. "Hey, guys!" he greeted them happily.

"Harry! How've you been?" Hermione queried anxiously. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Harry assured her. "Just a bit bored. I've done nothing but sit in a Ministry cell and stare at the wall for the past few days."

"It's good to see you again, ma— Blimey, look!" Ron exclaim, pointing to Fudge, who was charging towards them.

"I'll get you Potter!" he screamed. "I know you want my job, but you'll never get it, you hear! I'll put you away if it's the last thing I ever do! You lying, conniving, idiotic brat!"

"Minister!" Madam Bones shrieked indignantly. "Control yourself!"

But Fudge seemed to have gone insane. Completely ignoring the gaping spectators, he raised his wand and started sending curses at Harry, who hastily ducked. As he watched in bemusement, a squad of Aurors dragged the hysterical man away.

**Author's Note:** As I'm sure you've noticed, I don't know a thing about trials, criminal or otherwise. Therefore, I apologize for this rather…awkward scene.


	19. Freedom

**Disclaimer: **I'm afraid that my limited brain capacity would never allow me to produce such a wonderful concept as Harry Potter, nor would my finances allow me to buy him. Therefore, I regretfully state that I own neither Harry Potter, nor any other characters that you may recognize. I'm not even sure if I own the plot.

**Note: **I'm assuming that you already know the basic story of Harry Potter from books 1 through 5.

'_Italics'_ stand for thoughts/letters or text

Chapter Nineteen: Freedom

_Day Eight, Afternoon_:

"Mr. Potter?"

Harry turned away from his reunion with his friends and looked questioningly at the witch behind him. "Yes, Madam Bones?"

"May I have a word with you in private?"

"Um, sure." Shrugging apologetically at Ron and Hermione, Harry followed Madam Bones into a small room, presumably someone's office.

"Sit down," Madam Bones invited, motioning to a chair. "Don't worry; you're not in trouble. I just wanted to ask you some questions."

"Er, okay," Harry agreed uncertainly. "What do you want to know?"

"You said in the trial that when asked to take the Mark, you agreed because you were surrounded by Death Eaters. Is that right?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Now, my question is, _why_ were you in this situation? Were you kidnapped?"

"N-not exactly," Harry stammered, not knowing what to say.

"Mr. Potter, I need to know. The other members of the Wizengamot are going to demand an explanation soon."

Dumbledore saved Harry from having to answer by entering the room at that moment. "Amelia, how are you today?" he greeted her. "Is there a problem with Mr. Potter?"

"I'm fine, Albus, thank you," Madam Bones replied. "No, there's no problem. I just wanted to clear something up. Perhaps you could help explain how Mr. Potter here ended up in You-Know-Who's presence once again?"

"Ah. Well…that is a bit of a delicate matter," Dumbledore said carefully. "To put it simply, Mr. Potter was removed from his location against his will and brought before Voldemort."

Madam Bones raised an eyebrow. "Do you know who removed him?"

"Yes. The person at fault has been taken care of," Dumbledore assured her.

"And what happened after that? How did Mr. Potter escape?" Madam Bones wanted to know. "I take it he was responsible for the explosion that killed three dozen Death Eaters?"

"Indeed."

"What about You-Know-Who?" Madam Bones demanded. "Is it true that he's gone? The Minister — excuse me, ex-Minister — wouldn't give me a straight answer."

The twinkle in the Headmaster's eye intensified. "Voldemort is indeed gone, Amelia. Cornelius was trying to hide the information, so I decided to wait until after the trial to announce it."

"We need proof," Madam Bones pointed out skeptically.

"I have a Pensieve memory," Harry offered, drawing the witch's attention back to him. "Will that be enough proof?"

"I believe it will be," Madam Bones approved, a barely concealed joy in her expression, as she contemplated Voldemort's defeat. After a moment, she looked at Harry. "That was all I wanted to know, Mr. Potter."

Recognizing the dismissal, Harry headed for the door, but turned back when Madam Bones called his name again. "Yes, ma'am?"

"Mr. Potter…thank you," Madam Bones whispered sincerely.

"I…really…I didn't really do anything," Harry stated honestly, but the elderly witch merely waved his words aside.

"You had the courage to stand up to that monster. If we had all had that same courage, maybe this war wouldn't have lasted this long. At any rate, you have my deepest gratitude for what you have done."

Not knowing what to say, Harry nodded in acknowledgement before leaving the room. Outside, Ron and Hermione tackled him.

"Why the serious look?" Ron demanded. "You-Know-Who's gone, and you're free, Harry!"

"Free?" Harry repeated quizzically. Slowly, a grin spread across his face. _'I'm free,'_ he thought to himself in disbelief. _'Free from the Prophecy at last…I'm free!'_

Throwing his head back, he laughed and walked out of the courtroom.


	20. Epilogue: Worlds Beyond

**Disclaimer: **I'm afraid that my limited brain capacity would never allow me to produce such a wonderful concept as Harry Potter, nor would my finances allow me to buy him. Therefore, I regretfully state that I own neither Harry Potter, nor any other characters that you may recognize. I'm not even sure if I own the plot.

**Note: **I'm assuming that you already know the basic story of Harry Potter from books 1 through 5.

'_Italics'_ stand for thoughts/letters or text

Epilogue: Worlds Beyond

_Three years later_:

"Are you sure you want to do this, mate?" Ron asked, for the umpteenth time.

Harry smiled confidently. "Yes, Ron. I'm sure I want to do this. I'm happy for you and Hermione, but there's nothing left for me to do here."

"You could start a family," Hermione pointed out, gesturing to her own swollen belly. "You could stay and be an uncle to Ron Jr. here."

"I don't know, Hermione. Look at the childhood I had. What kind of father would I make? I've spent my whole life training to survive Voldemort, and now I don't know how to do anything else."

"What about professional Quidditch?" Ron suggested.

"Maybe…but quite frankly, I think it would be too tame. Ever since the war ended, I've felt lost, like I don't have a purpose anymore," Harry admitted. "And after we graduated from Hogwarts, everything just…fell apart. I need some excitement."

"Join the Aurors," Ron said insistently.

"Mate, we've had this conversation already," Harry sighed, shaking his head. "There isn't anything for the Aurors to do except arrest a few petty criminals."

"Well, if we can't change your mind…then go, Harry," Hermione urged gently. "Go and be happy."

"Thanks, Mione, and you too, Ron," Harry whispered, looking fondly at his best friends. "Thanks for helping me figure this out, too; I'd never have been able to do this on my own."

"It was nothing," Hermione protested.

Ron stared at his wife in mild bemusement. "Figuring out how to cross dimensional barriers is nothing?" he questioned dryly. "

"For the 'smartest witch of the age,' it's nothing," Harry teased, making Hermione blush.

"Oh, stop that, you two. Really, it wasn't that hard. All it took was charting the natural energy fluctuations and combining the results with the temporal field —"

"Okay, okay," Harry interrupted quickly. "I just wanted to say thanks, Mione. I don't need to know exactly how this thing works."

"But what will you do if something goes wrong, or you need to reproduce it somehow, or —" She stopped abruptly when Ron kissed her.

"I wish you guys had figured this out earlier," Harry commented in amusement. "It would have saved a lot of arguing."

"Oh, shut it," Ron retorted. "Just wait until you find the right girl."

"I'll try," Harry promised. Glancing at his watch, he noticed that it was nearly midnight. "I should get going." He gave Ron and Hermione a warm hug each, before turning and walking into the clearing behind him. A lazy flick of his wand opened a portal like the one he had left the other dimension through.

"Make sure you come back and visit," Hermione called after him. "I wrote down the exact energy fluctuations for this dimension so that you can find your way back!"

"Don't worry, I'll be back soon," Harry assured her. "Maybe in a couple of months." Pausing, he gave them a cocky salute before stepping towards the portal.

"Goodbye, Harry," Hermione murmured.

"Good luck," Ron added softly.

They stood together and watched as the Boy-Who-Lived disappeared into another world.

…………

THE END

…………

**Author's Note:** Whew! I'm finally finished. That's amazing considering my short attention span…what was I saying? Just kidding. Anyway, I just wanted to say thank you so much to all of you who read my story, and especially those of you who reviewed. I couldn't have finished this fic without you.

I have been working on a companion story called _On the Other Side_, about the alternate Harry in the canon dimension. I'll be posting that soon. Do you think I should also write a sequel about Harry traveling to other dimensions?

**This story is dedicated to my Spanish teacher, Juan Jose Cuxil, who passed away on August 14, 2006. He was an amazing man who served the Lord with all his heart. He will always be remembered by those who knew him.**


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